First & 20: Marquee matchups shake up Pac-12

With three key late-night games, the Pac-12 race was going to begin to show some clarity on Saturday. It did. Just not in the way you probably thought it would.

Arizona State, thought by some to be College Football Playoff timber before the season, suffered its second loss, this one a no-doubt-about-it 42-14 gaffe-fest at home vs. USC.

Arizona, ranked 16th with its feet firmly on the national stage with ESPN’s “College GameDay” in town, scurried back into the darkness when its defense proved to be tissue-soft in a 56-30 loss to UCLA.

But the stunner came from Autzen Stadium in Eugene, Ore.

Utah 62, Oregon 20.

The Ducks, who have played in two of the past five national championship games, are out of the national race at the end of September. Who saw that coming?

Let it sink in one more time: 62-20.

The 42-point loss was Oregon’s worst since losing to Arizona State 59-14 on Oct. 11, 2003. The Ducks hadn’t given up that many points since yielding 63 to Nebraska 30 years ago.

“To put that many points on a team like Oregon is unheard of,” said Utah quarterback Travis Wilson.

Yeah. Especially by the Utes.

Utah has been more of a grinder than point-a-minute juggernaut, but it’s time to take the 4-0 Utes seriously. Their opening win over Michigan looks better and better ever week, given how Jim Harbaugh’s Wolverines have played since. Utah is one of three unbeaten teams in the Pac-12, UCLA and Cal being the others.

And Stanford, after looking awful in an opening loss at Northwestern, is bringing the hammer again and looking like the new favorite in the Pac-12 North.

The Cardinal have a win at USC in their pocket, but the Trojans bounced back nicely Saturday night in Tempe, showing off their ridiculous playmaking sophomore talent with receiver JuJu Smith-Schuster and receiver Adoree’ Jackson, who saw more time on offense while still double-dipping as a starting cornerback.

The Pac-12 is arguably the deepest league in the nation (deal with it, SEC), so the cannibalization as conference play heats up is not a surprise. The Pac-12, with its nine-game conference schedule, still might end up knocking itself out of the College Football Playoff.

Can UCLA survive three key season-ending injuries on defense, including to linebacker Myles Jack? Can USC further avoid the puzzling stumbles that have marked every recent season? Can Stanford and Utah, teams that pride themselves on being physical, continue to muster game-changing offense every week? And Cal lurks, boosted by high first-round quarterback Jared Goff, but its toughest challenges — by far — are all ahead.

It could be that further Pac-12 clarity will only reveal parity.

10 things we think we learned in Week 4

1. Michigan didn’t take long to get up to speed. Quarterback Jake Rudock is turning the ball over too much, but he continue to settle in. Meanwhile, there is a lot to like about a defense that pitched a shutout against BYU as the Wolverines moved to 3-1 under first-year coach Jim Harbaugh. The defensive line is a strength, safety Jabrill Peppers is a rising star, and that gives Michigan a chance against anybody.

2. Tennessee isn’t over the hump. The Vols led Florida by 13 points with about 10 minutes left but lost 28-27, their 11th consecutive loss to the Gators. Pair this defeat with blowing a similar late lead against Oklahoma, and that’s when you get fans invoking the name of Derek Dooley when cursing about coach Butch Jones.

3. Arkansas isn’t over the hump either. The Hogs fell in overtime 28-21 to visiting Texas A&M, marking the 13th consecutive loss in a one-possession game for Arkansas coach Bret Bielema. How is that even possible?

4. UCLA running back Paul Perkins really is underrated. He was the Pac-12 rushing champ last season but didn’t make either first or second-team all-conference. He’s faster than he looks, plays bigger than he looks, and it’s nearly incomprehensible that he gained only 85 yards on 24 carries vs. Arizona, because the Wildcats never corralled him with their initial effort.

5. Maybe Ohio State’s schedule isn’t that bad. OK, it still is. But the Buckeyes will be heading into an unexpected potential Bloomington buzzsaw this week against an Indiana team that is 4-0 for the first time since 1990. Be advised to know the name of Hoosiers running back Jordan Howard, a transfer from UAB.

6. Dino Babers will be in demand. Bowling Green’s second-year head coach, running a tempo attack learned while at Baylor, has directed the Falcons to wins over Maryland and Purdue. The combination of his offense and personality would lead to being a good fit at, let’s say, Illinois.

7. Memphis is a good show. Led by quarterback Paxton Lynch, the Tigers are 4-0, scoring at least 44 points in each game and they will push toward being the Group of 5 representative in the elite bowls. Circle an Oct. 17 home game against Ole Miss as can’t-miss (but also make room to catch road games at Tulsa, Houston and Temple). Sneaky-fun entertainment.

8. TCU can’t hang on much longer. The tipped-pass touchdown to beat Texas Tech was great theater, but the defense is just too decimated to survive the season. “Lucky in Lubbock” can’t last against Baylor, Oklahoma, Oklahoma State and others in a Big 12 that looks up for grabs.

9. Rich Rodriguez has a Jim Mora problem. Rodriguez has done a lot of good in three-plus seasons at Arizona, but beating Mora and UCLA is not one of them. RichRod is 0-4 against Mora, losing by a combined 170-73.

10. If you don’t feel bad for Texas, you don’t have a heart. Nobody cries a river when a national powerhouse loses its way, but the manner of the Horns’ past two losses — a missed PAT that would have tied the game vs. Cal, a dropped punt snap that led to a game-losing field goal against Oklahoma State — has to make you a little bit heart-sick for the kids involved.

Five top Heisman candidates

1. Leonard Fournette, RB, LSU. He is averaging 210.3 yards per game against a legit schedule, about 42 more yards per game than anybody in the country. Best college runner since Adrian Peterson? Sounds right.

2. Nick Chubb, RB, Georgia. Has the talent. Needs a showcase game. Hello, Alabama. Doing work against the Tide defensive front is the degree of difficulty Chubb needs to challenge Fournette.

3. Trevone Boykin, QB, TCU. He’s heating up, and he’ll have to with the Frogs’ defense ailing. Boykin threw for a career-best 509 yards in the wild 55-52 win at Texas Tech.

4. Myles Garrett, DE, Texas A&M. He came up with a big sack and forced fumble late in regulation vs. Arkansas. With 6.5 sacks, he’s the clubhouse leader as best defender in the country.

5. Cody Kessler, QB, USC. He threw for five touchdown passes in the win at Arizona State, and he now has a TD-to-interception ratio of 15-to-1. His passing efficiency rating of 201.2 trails only Baylor’s Seth Russell.

Five best Week 5 games

1. Alabama at Georgia (Saturday, 3:30 p.m. ET). We’ll see how the betting line moves during the week, but Alabama’s 72-game streak of being favored could end against the Dawgs.

2. Notre Dame at Clemson (Saturday, 8 p.m. ET). The last time the Irish played at Clemson, it was 1977 and Joe Montana led Notre Dame to a 21-17 win en route to the national title. This, too, has championship implications.

3. Mississippi State at Texas A&M (Saturday, 7:30 p.m. ET). In a key SEC West game, what will Aggies true freshman wide receiver Christian Kirk do next?

4. Baylor at Texas Tech (Saturday, 3:30 p.m.). Welcome to the college football season, Baylor. The Bears’ first test comes against a fiery Red Raiders team that won at Arkansas and came within a tipped pass of toppling TCU.

5. Ole Miss at Florida (7 p.m.). The Gators are 4-0. An ugly 4-0, but 4-0. Enjoy it while you can? Florida’s October includes three current top 10 teams (Ole Miss, LSU, Georgia), as well as a game at Missouri.

NFLDraftScout.com: Film Room Review

Analyst Rob Rang’s five prospect takeaways for this week. Players listed including position, school, year (height, weight and current NFLDraftScout.com overall rating and by position).

5. WR Demarcus Robinson, Florida, 6-1, 197, Jr. (#44 overall prospect, #4 WR eligible in 2016): The wideout was inconsistent in fighting through press coverage against Tennessee, lined up incorrectly on a snap and saw an easy pass slip through his fingers — precisely the type of lapses in concentration that has kept the clearly gifted Robinson in coach Jim McElwain’s dog house this season. Robinson has averaged just 7.65 yards on 20 catches this season.

4. RB Devontae Booker, Utah, 5-11, 212, Sr. (#76, #4 RB): Booker ripped off 146 all-purpose yards against Oregon. He sports a compact, powerful build and runs even heavier than he looks, frequently breaking tackles due to his low center of gravity, good forward lean and impressive leg drive. He’s also a terrific receiver out of the backfield, showing excellent body control to adjust his frame, secure the ball and head upfield in one fluid motion.

3. CB Vernon Hargreaves III, Florida, 5-11, 198 (#7, #2): Despite Florida’s dramatic comeback, the projected Top 10 pick built on concerns about his undisciplined tackling and failing to close his arms around opponents on multiple plays. His struggles may have been impacted by a back injury suffered early in the game.

2. DE Ron Thompson, Syracuse, 6-3, 255, Jr. (#33 DE in class of 2017): Thompson spent much of Saturday’s game working against LSU LT Jerald Hawkins, but it was his sack working against top prospect RT Vadal Alexander that will grab the attention of NFL scouts. In just his fourth start at end, the former tight end showed a quick initial burst upfield before hesitating and threatening a counter back inside before exploding around Alexander. Stringing moves together is precisely what scouts hoped to see in Thompson’s development.

1. QB Travis Wilson, Utah, 6-7, 233, Sr. (#369, #22): Playing through a sprained non-throwing shoulder, the oft-injured Wilson displayed impressive accuracy in the blowout victory over Oregon. He showed the velocity and accuracy to hit quick slants as well as terrific touch on fades, deep balls and short passes to the flat. Despite noticeably attempting to protect his shoulder while running, Wilson repeatedly made big plays with his legs, rushing six times for 100 yards.